Maintaining Your Home As You Age
If you remain in the same space for many years, you'll likely notice differences in how you use your space. Use the suggestions below for maintaining your home as you age.
If you begin using certain spaces in your home less frequently, minimize the surfaces that can collect dust in those spaces. Whether it's a guest room or child's room that you find yourself using less often, consider putting away unnecessary clutter so that you can easily vacuum and dust when you're cleaning the rest of your home without spending time on moving and cleaning decorative accents.
Avoid trying to save energy costs by closing doors on unused rooms or closing vents in those rooms in order to avoid interrupting air circulation throughout your home. Closing vents, especially if you have central air conditioning can result in condensation accumulating on the vents in closed rooms creating the need to replace the vent and the need to repaint ceilings.
Don't expand the spaces in your home you use for storage even if you have a room that can serve as a big closet. By removing older items through donation, throwing out or even trying to sell them in a consignment shop you'll avoid gradually turning a less-used space into a closet.
Stick to your traditional routine of vacuuming but consider purchasing a lighter-weight vacuum. While you may never have loved vacuuming, as you get older the weight of the vacuum may deter you from using it. A newer, light-weight vacuum can get you back on your usual routine of maintaining your space.
Don't rush to replace worn carpet with hardwood floors because while home decor channels frequently push the beauty, resilience and popularity of hardwoods, the incidence of falling increases with age and having wall-to-wall carpet can frequently be a better decision for you than choosing hardwood flooring.
Choose lighting fixtures that provide sufficient light for the tasks you're performing whether it's reading or cooking. Make sure that your current fixtures can accept the kind of bulbs you intend to use for lighting, including transitions you'll likely make to more environmentally friendly types of lighting. Instead of adding new lighting fixtures, replace lighting fixtures with more modern models. Always hire an electrician to install your new lighting fixtures.
Consider hiring neighborhood teens to help you with tasks that become more difficult as you age such as raking leaves in your yard or washing windows, or even walking your dog.
Consider purchasing indoor trashcans that are separated into recycling if you find yourself accumulating recyclables indoors because you have less energy to go outside and bring out your recycling each day. Make sure that you maintain your habit of bringing daily garbage outside so that it doesn't smell.
If you rarely use your dishwasher, consider washing your dishes by hand rather than storing dirty dishes in your dishwasher for days at a time.
Maintaining your home as you age will require some adjustments in order to suit your aging lifestyle. Use the suggestions above for beginning to change your home maintenance approach to your home as you age.
